skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: Wind Turbine and Turbomachinery Computational Analysis with the ALE and Space-Time Variational Multiscale Methods and Isogeometric Discretization
The challenges encountered in computational analysis of wind turbines and turbomachinery include turbulent rotational flows, complex geometries, moving boundaries and interfaces, such as the rotor motion, and the fluid-structure interaction (FSI), such as the FSI between the wind turbine blade and the air. The Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) and Space-Time (ST) Variational Multiscale (VMS) methods and isogeometric discretization have been effective in addressing these challenges. The ALE-VMS and ST-VMS serve as core computational methods. They are supplemented with special methods like the Slip Interface (SI) method and ST Isogeometric Analysis with NURBS basis functions in time. We describe the core and special methods and present, as examples of challenging computations performed, computational analysis of horizontaland vertical-axis wind turbines and flow-driven This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited.string dynamics in pumps.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1854436
PAR ID:
10167584
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Journal of Advanced Engineering and Computation
Volume:
4
Issue:
1
ISSN:
1859-2244
Page Range / eLocation ID:
1; 32
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Computational cardiovascular flow analysis can provide valuable information to medical doctors in a wide range of patientspecific cases, including cerebral aneurysms, aortas and heart valves. The computational challenges faced in this class of flow analyses also have a wide range. They include unsteady flows, complex cardiovascular geometries, moving boundaries and interfaces, such as the motion of the heart valve leaflets, contact between moving solid surfaces, such as the contact between the leaflets, and the fluid–structure interaction between the blood and the cardiovascular structure. Many of these challenges have been or are being addressed by the Space–Time Variational Multiscale (ST-VMS) method, Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian VMS (ALE-VMS) method, and the VMS-based Immersogeometric Analysis (IMGA-VMS), which serve as the core computational methods, and the special methods used in combination with them. We provide an overview of the core and special methods and present examples of challenging computations carried out with these methods, including aorta and heart valve flow analyses. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited. 
    more » « less
  2. Abstract The superior accuracy isogeometric analysis (IGA) brought to computations in fluid and solid mechanics has been yielding higher fidelity in computational aerodynamics. The increased accuracy we achieve with the IGA is in the flow solution, in representing the problem geometry, and, when we use the IGA basis functions also in time in a space–time (ST) framework, in representing the motion of solid surfaces. It is of course as part of a set of methods that the IGA has been very effective in computational aerodynamics, including complex-geometry aerodynamics. The set of methods we have been using can be categorized into those that serve as a core method, those that increase the accuracy, and those that widen the application range. The core methods are the residual-based variational multiscale (VMS), ST-VMS and arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian VMS methods. The IGA and ST-IGA are examples of the methods that increase the accuracy. The complex-geometry IGA mesh generation method is an example of the methods that widen the application range. The ST Topology Change method is another example of that. We provide an overview of these methods for IGA-based computational aerodynamics and present examples of the computations performed. In computational flow analysis with moving solid surfaces and contact between the solid surfaces, it is a challenge to represent the boundary layers with an accuracy attributed to moving-mesh methods and represent the contact without leaving a mesh protection gap. 
    more » « less
  3. Abstract In our interconnected world, Systems Thinking (ST) is increasingly being recognized as a key learning goal for science education to help students make sense of complex phenomena. To support students in mastering ST, educators are advocating for using computational modeling programs. However, studies suggest that students often have challenges with using ST in the context of computational modeling. While previous studies have suggested that students have challenges modeling change over time through collector and flow structures and representing iterative processes through feedback loops, most of these studies investigated student ST through pre and post tests or through interviews. As such there is a gap in the literature regarding how student ST approaches develop and change throughout a computational modeling unit. In this case study, we aimed to determine which aspects of ST students found challenging during a computational modeling unit, how their approaches to ST changed over time, and how the learning environment was supporting students with ST. Building on prior frameworks, we developed a seven-category analysis tool that enabled us to use a mixture of student discourse, writing, and screen actions to categorize seven ST behaviors in real time. Through using this semi-quantitative tool and subsequent narrative analysis, we found evidence for all seven behavior categories, but not all categories were equally represented. Meanwhile our results suggest that opportunities for students to engage in discourse with both their peers and their teacher supported them with ST. Overall, this study demonstrates how student discourse and student writing can be important evidence of ST and serve as a potential factor to evaluate ST application as part of students’ learning progression. The case study also provides evidence for the positive impact that the implementation of a social constructivist approach has in the context of constructing computational system models. 
    more » « less
  4. Abstract Fluid-structure interaction (FSI) studies the interaction between fluid and solid objects. It helps understand how fluid motion affects solid objects and vice versa. FSI research is important in engineering applications such as aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, and structural analysis. It has been used to design efficient systems such as ships, aircraft, and buildings. FSI in biological systems has gained interest in recent years for understanding how organisms interact with their fluidic environment. Our special issue features papers on various biological and bio-inspired FSI problems. Papers in this special issue cover topics ranging from flow physics to optimization and diagonistics. These papers offer new insights into natural systems and inspire the development of new technologies based on natural principles. 
    more » « less
  5. The aerodynamic shapes of the blades are of great importance in wind turbine design to achieve better overall turbine performance. Fluid–structure interaction (FSI) analyses are normally carried out to take into consideration the effects due to the loads between the air flow and the turbine structures. A structural integrity check can then be performed, and the structural/material design can be optimized accordingly. In this study, three different tip shapes are investigated based on the original blade of the test wind turbine (Phase VI) from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). A one-way coupled simulation of FSI is conducted, and results with a focus on stresses and deformations along the span of the blade are investigated. The results show that tip modifications of the blade have the potential to effectively increase the power generation of wind turbines while ensuring adequate structural strength. Furthermore, instead of using more complicated but computationally expensive techniques, this study demonstrates an effective approach to making quality observations of this highly nonlinear phenomenon for wind turbine blade design. 
    more » « less